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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Saturday Farmar's Market - Maiden, Mother, Crone

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Pickles! Remember when I shared my recipe for sweet refrigerator pickles? Well, if you had started them at that time you would be enjoying wonderful sweet pickles right now!

I have enough ripe cucumbers for a second batch (after I get more
canning jars). I'll put up as many as I can, since my family loves them,
but I won't have nearly enough for the winter. UPDATE #2: My Cherry liqueur is coming along nicely. I think. My actual alcoholic expertise is limited to a Guinness or two after yard work and an occasional weekend cooler. (My mother in law and I used to 'sip' some sangria while working in the garden. My husband rolled his eyes and called it giggle gardening. He's no fun.)

Is it supposed to smell like cherry flavored paint thinner? Here is an interesting vision of a Garden by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

If I could put my woods in song

And tell what's there enjoyed,
All men would to my gardens throng,
And leave the cities void.

In early spring my Iceberg rose bushes were solid white. Unfortunately, my camera and I were still on the outs at the time, so I have no pictures to prove it. I debated whether or not to leave the rose hips, and opted to deadhead and maximize the rebloom. After cleaning up, I finally got a few pictures.

What do you see when you look at this picture? Myself, I find that the three stages of roses reminded me of, "Maiden, Mother, & Crone."

That particular trinity means different things to different people - goddess triad, phases of the moon, realms of the world - but to my eyes, it is a memoir.

I remember the intensity of youth, the striving, the incessant need to move forward. To what, I was not always sure, but I knew I had to keep moving.

Then came motherhood, equal parts insecurity and satisfaction. To be honest with you, it's all quite a blur. Don't get me wrong, I have many wonderful memories of those years. But for the most part, it mixes together like the colors of an impressionist painting - all working together to create a thing of beauty. My kids are relatively well adjusted, so I must have done something right.

And here I am, Crone at last. I always expected that, like Dylan Thomas urged his father, I would rage against the coming sunset. But, no. I find myself embracing the calming time, and willingly following the path as it spreads out in front of me.

New experiences, new understandings, new friends, all collude to draw me forward once again.

I still don't know where the path is taking me, but I'm okay with that.

Flowers, anyone?

My garden.My therapy. My inspiration.

These lantana are under my lavender crepe myrtle. (there are five of them) They share the same homeland (Australia) with the tree, so I figured they would play nice. I love the fiery colors and they are starting to fill in nicely.

My Jade tree was badly burned this winter even though I had it covered. It's quite old and has survived a lot, but the usual precautions weren't successful this time. I have been coddling it and it is coming back quite well. However, I hope to have a place to move it permanently inside before winter. It is much too large to be moving in and out.

This little sweetheart (whose name I can't recall) is tucked in among the rocks beneath my rosemary bush.

I have these hens and chicks, larger than the span of my splayed fingers, both in the rock garden around the rosemary and in a pot with other succulents.

This is actually a bright pink laundry basket that I've drilled for drainage, and it contains a motley assortment of succulents.

These are my avocado trees, started on my windowsill. Yup. There are two of them in the pot. I'm trying apply some bonsai techniques to keep them manageable. (The two sixty footers I see every day out my front window lead me to believe it's going to be a futile endeavor.) They were a bit peeked at first, but they seem to have rallied.

There are so many things I want to do in the garden, but you know how it is. Money, time, and ability are never up to optimum levels. I'd like to turn a couple of our old windows (replaced last year) into small cold frames. I could use a truck load of mulch. I want to get rid of the grass, make some paths, . . . and on and on . . .

Until I am able to get around to all the ideas racing around in my head, my garden journal will keep them safe.

2 comments:

Man I love your Saturday Farmer's Market posts so much!!!! They're always so inspirational and always make me smile so much :) And they make me reflect a lot which I really appreciate. You look at gardens the way I do too. Yes, I take in philosophy from my garden at times as well :p Everything looks so gorgeous!! And I LOVE the idea of planting a succulent garden in a laundry basket! I seriously might do that myself! Also, I'm so happy you're making cherry liqueur :D :D :D Yes, it should indeed smell like cherry paint thinner :p Mine came out delicious and my mixed berry liqueur should be ready soon too! That one looks beautiful!

I'm so glad you enjoy my garden blather. I'm used to watching eyes glaze over & roll back in heads when I talk about it.

Just about every thing seems to be struggling this year. The unseasonable heat has been relentless and is taking a toll. I only started using containers in the past few years & in the intense CA summers it can be a challenge. You have actually been my inspiration. Your containers are wonderful. Thank you for your encouragement.

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